When to enter the 2018 lottery for synchronous fireflies at Elkmont

Visitors flock to see fireflies' annual mating display in Elkmont Campground in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park outside Gatlinburg on Wednesday, June 4, 2014.
Adam Lau/News Sentinel

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Synchronous fireflies swam along the Little River Trail during their annual mating season against the red glow of visitors' flashlights on Monday, June 2, 2014, at Elkmont in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.(Photo: (ADAM LAU/KNOXVILLE NEWS SENTINEL))Buy Photo

Here's when to enter the lottery

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In this nearly ten-minute exposure, fireflies blink through the woods during the Elkmont Fireflies viewing event in the Smoky Mountains in Gatlinburg, Tennessee on Wednesday, May 31, 2017. The "Photinus carolinus" firefly is the only species in America that can synchronize their light patterns as part of their annual mating ritual. The event runs May 30 through June 6.
Calvin Mattheis, Knoxville News Sentinel

Mia McLemore, 7, of Knoxville claims her spot on the blanket during the Elkmont Fireflies viewing event in the Smoky Mountains in Gatlinburg, Tennessee on Wednesday, May 31, 2017. Mia was visiting with her grandparents Gene and Jan McCullough and her sister Lillian and cousins Kara Sepaniak, Elena Sepaniak and Rachel Sepankiak. The "Photinus carolinus" firefly is the only species in America that can synchronize their light patterns as part of their annual mating ritual. The event runs May 30 through June 6.
Calvin Mattheis, Knoxville News Sentinel

Visitors take a few moments of rest before the fireflies wake up during the Elkmont Fireflies viewing event in the Smoky Mountains in Gatlinburg, Tennessee on Wednesday, May 31, 2017. The "Photinus carolinus" firefly is the only species in America that can synchronize their light patterns as part of their annual mating ritual. The event runs May 30 through June 6.
Calvin Mattheis, Knoxville News Sentinel

A man sprays himself with bug spray during the Elkmont Fireflies viewing event in the Smoky Mountains in Gatlinburg, Tennessee on Tuesday, May 30, 2017. The "Photinus carolinus" firefly is the only species in America that can synchronize their light patterns as part of their annual mating ritual. The event runs May 30 through June 6.
Calvin Mattheis, Knoxville News Sentinel

Traci Sooter and Angie Woodcock, both of Asheville, North Carolina, set up their Canon 6D DSLR camera to take long-exposure photographs of the fireflies during the Elkmont Fireflies viewing event in the Smoky Mountains in Gatlinburg, Tennessee on Wednesday, May 31, 2017. The "Photinus carolinus" firefly is the only species in America that can synchronize their light patterns as part of their annual mating ritual. The event runs May 30 through June 6.
Calvin Mattheis, Knoxville News Sentinel

In this composite of eight 30-second exposures, fireflies blink through the woods during the Elkmont Fireflies viewing event in the Smoky Mountains in Gatlinburg, Tennessee on Wednesday, May 31, 2017. The "Photinus carolinus" firefly is the only species in America that can synchronize their light patterns as part of their annual mating ritual. The event runs May 30 through June 6.
Calvin Mattheis, Knoxville News Sentinel

In this handheld two-minute exposure, fireflies blink through the woods during the Elkmont Fireflies viewing event in the Smoky Mountains in Gatlinburg, Tennessee on Wednesday, May 31, 2017. The "Photinus carolinus" firefly is the only species in America that can synchronize their light patterns as part of their annual mating ritual. The event runs May 30 through June 6.
Calvin Mattheis, Knoxville News Sentinel

In this five-minute exposure, fireflies blink through the woods during the Elkmont Fireflies viewing event in the Smoky Mountains in Gatlinburg, Tennessee on Wednesday, May 31, 2017. The "Photinus carolinus" firefly is the only species in America that can synchronize their light patterns as part of their annual mating ritual. The event runs May 30 through June 6.
Calvin Mattheis, Knoxville News Sentinel

Visitors arrive during the Elkmont Fireflies viewing event in the Smoky Mountains in Gatlinburg, Tennessee on Wednesday, May 31, 2017. The "Photinus carolinus" firefly is the only species in America that can synchronize their light patterns as part of their annual mating ritual. The event runs May 30 through June 6.
Calvin Mattheis, Knoxville News Sentinel

A visitor walks down the trail during the Elkmont Fireflies viewing event in the Smoky Mountains in Gatlinburg, Tennessee on Wednesday, May 31, 2017. The "Photinus carolinus" firefly is the only species in America that can synchronize their light patterns as part of their annual mating ritual. The event runs May 30 through June 6.
Calvin Mattheis, Knoxville News Sentinel

A park ranger blocks off the end of the trail during the Elkmont Fireflies viewing event in the Smoky Mountains in Gatlinburg, Tennessee on Tuesday, May 30, 2017. The "Photinus carolinus" firefly is the only species in America that can synchronize their light patterns as part of their annual mating ritual. The event runs May 30 through June 6.
Calvin Mattheis, Knoxville News Sentinel

In this composite of 114 individual 30-second exposure images, fireflies blink through the woods during the Elkmont Fireflies viewing event in the Smoky Mountains in Gatlinburg, Tennessee on Wednesday, May 31, 2017. The "Photinus carolinus" firefly is the only species in America that can synchronize their light patterns as part of their annual mating ritual. The event runs May 30 through June 6.
Calvin Mattheis, Knoxville News Sentinel

In this two-minute exposure, fireflies blink through the woods during the Elkmont Fireflies viewing event in the Smoky Mountains in Gatlinburg, Tennessee on Wednesday, May 31, 2017. The "Photinus carolinus" firefly is the only species in America that can synchronize their light patterns as part of their annual mating ritual. The event runs May 30 through June 6.
Calvin Mattheis, Knoxville News Sentinel

Visitors must walk with red light to prevent interrupting or scaring the fireflies during the Elkmont Fireflies viewing event in the Smoky Mountains in Gatlinburg, Tennessee on Tuesday, May 30, 2017. The "Photinus carolinus" firefly is the only species in America that can synchronize their light patterns as part of their annual mating ritual. The event runs May 30 through June 6.
Calvin Mattheis, Knoxville News Sentinel

In this four-minute exposure, fireflies blink through the woods during the Elkmont Fireflies viewing event in the Smoky Mountains in Gatlinburg, Tennessee on Wednesday, May 31, 2017. The "Photinus carolinus" firefly is the only species in America that can synchronize their light patterns as part of their annual mating ritual. The event runs May 30 through June 6.
Calvin Mattheis, Knoxville News Sentinel

Visitors wait to board a shuttle back to Sugarlands Visitor Center during the Elkmont Fireflies viewing event in the Smoky Mountains in Gatlinburg, Tennessee on Wednesday, May 31, 2017. The "Photinus carolinus" firefly is the only species in America that can synchronize their light patterns as part of their annual mating ritual. The event runs May 30 through June 6.
Calvin Mattheis, Knoxville News Sentinel

Shuttle service during viewing

Rob Taylor photographed his wife, Shannon, interacting with synchronous fireflies in 2016 at Elkmont in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.(Photo: Rob Taylor)

Those who receive parking passes will be assigned arrival times in order to prevent traffic congestion in the Sugarlands Visitor Center parking lot.

Shuttles will begin picking up visitors at 7 p.m., and they will be charged a $2 round trip, per person fee when boarding the shuttles. This fee can only be paid with cash, according to the press release.

"The shuttle service is the only transportation mode for visitor access during this period, except for registered campers staying at the Elkmont Campground. Visitors are not allowed to walk the Elkmont entrance road due to safety concerns," the release said.

Why is there a lottery?

The GSMNP issues a limited number of passes for the synchronous fireflies because of the Sugarlands Visitor Center parking lot capacity and their ability to accommodate a large number of viewers on site, according to the press release.

For more information about the synchronous fireflies, visit nps.gov/grsm.

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Thousands visit to view synchronous fireflies in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
CALVIN MATTHEIS/NEWS SENTINEL